I walked through the heavy oak door, coming upon a sight I could have gone without.

There Professor Williams stood, her teeth in the neck of her teacher assistant. The assistant’s face was pale, eyes closed as Professor Williams took another heavy gulp from their vein.

She pulled her head up to look at me, retracting her teeth from the neck of the student. “Can I help you, Miss Davis?”

My mouth snapped shut. “I—”

“Do you have a good excuse for interrupting?” asked the student as they sat on the large desk of my Professor. They crossed their long, brown legs and pushed their glasses onto their nose. “I was having a pleasant time.”

Professor Williams tightened her navy shawl around her arms and tugged at one of the many necklaces and jewels on her neck. “Well?”

I cleared my throat. “I wanted some help. My grades are slipping, and I...You know what? I should go.”

“Nonsense.” Professor Williams grinned, blood slipping out of the side of her mouth. It felt rude to point it out, so I looked at her feet. Her toenails were painted a dark green with golden lines in it.

“Really, I should,” I mumbled, reaching my hand back to turn the doorknob.

The teacher’s assistant licked the blood from Ms. William’s skin. “See you in a few days.” They reached behind me and opened the door for themselves and left me alone with my Professor.

She flicked her tongue out to run it over her lips. “Please, sit.” She gestured to the chair on the opposite side of her desk.

I gulped and took small steps to the wooden chair. “If I interrupted, I can, um, come back another time.”

I would never come again, not in a million years, no matter how far my grades slipped.

“You’re fine, darling.” She crossed her legs and fiddled with her nose ring. “Now, your lower grades are on the writing portions of tests. You do better with factual, multiple-choice questions.”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “I just need some guidance.”

She grinned, though it seemed awfully wicked. “I think I can do just that.”